looking for mafia,yakuza, etc manga

So.. after recently reading Black Joke, I have become interested in the mafia genre again and want to read more

What I am looking for is the seinen type of mafia manga that would preferably center around someone that is a member of the mafia and would feature the more stereotypical image of the mafia with the guns, violence, women, etc (with the usage of women used only to serve plot purposes and not hentai or yaoi). I am more interested in a manga portraying the complexities and politics of the mafia world though doesn't have to be serious and can be more lighthearted like Black Joke. The best examples i can think of would be:- Sanctuary (my all time favorite yakuza manga)- Araragi Express- Sun-Ken Rock- the anime Gungrave- this other anime about a guy forced to be trained to become a mafia assassin by another girl assassin

I am NOT looking for shounen mafia portrayals like Hitman Reborn so there should be some degree of realism(ish) and also not looking for the mafia being as just a side plot like in the case of Gokusen. Generally, anything where the main character has to go through the typical shounen powerups and etc do not really interest me and I would prefer to main character to be strong from the beginning (whether physical or intellectual) and show how he can survive in the mafia world.

Banana Fish - May fit. It focuses more of the mafia world from the view of the street gangs they use, but it is complex and deals with the violence, politics, and crimes of the mafia. There isn't much in the way of women (for a good reason) but there isn't any hentai or yaoi. If you liked Sanctuary (which I agree is brilliant) you'll like this. The main character is strong, but lacks power, so uses his intellect to rebel and survive. As a note, lots of people complain about the art as it is very 80s in style. I personally don't mind it as it makes the manga seem much more realistic when everyone in it isn't drop dead gorgeous, and the art does improve later one anyway, so I would suggest you don't let it put you off.

Acid Town - This is still in the early stages, and again crosses into the world of the street kids. It does potray the mafia as violent and complex. I'm not sure how this will turn out as it is only just beginning to pick up the pace, but this looks at the more human elements of the mafia members and how everyone has their own goals.

Saezuru tori wa habatakanai - Ok, so this is a yaoi, and very explicit, which isn't what you want, I know. Trust me, I was so against this manga for that reason, but then I read it and realised that, despite the twisted nature of the main character, this has great potential as a yakuza manga. It is realistic in it's depiction of the yakuza world, not at all romantic fluff. They have only briefly touched on the politics, but it seems the manga will delve deeper as it goes on. I'm not a fan of yaoi and I love this manga.

Let Dai _ This isn't a mafia manga but a deliquent one, but it is brilliant. It is very deep, complex and realistic. It doesn't glorify the deliquent lifestyle the way many delinquent manga does, but does explore why people seem fascinated by it. It takes serious issues seriously, unlike many manga nowadays. It is shounen-ai, but no sex is ever shown, or ever clearly implied for that matter, so it can be very much up to your own interpretation of exactly how far the bromance went. My main complaint with this is the sudden ending (not bad, but it could have been better). It;s not as good as Sanctuary or Banana Fish, but is a good read.

Hope this helps.

________________The pen is mightier than the sword...and considerably easier to write with.

Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn! first 80 chapters are random and boring, but then it gets VERY good. About a Mafia family.Gokusen About a young Yakuza boss (a only daughter/child) who becomes a teacher at a school. these 2 are ones i greatly reccomend

From all the titles @CuthienSilmeriel suggests, I only second Banana Fish, since the other titles focus way too much on boys love compared to what you're looking for.

But seriously, try out Banana Fish, it's one of my all-time favorites, but it takes a couple of volumes to get really into it.

I hadn't noticed that, I feel very dense now, lol. I agree that the other 3 focus on BL a lot more than your suggestions. The stories are still good, but if you are very anti-BL, then you may no like them.

________________The pen is mightier than the sword...and considerably easier to write with.

Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn! first 80 chapters are random and boring, but then it gets VERY good. About a Mafia family.Gokusen About a young Yakuza boss (a only daughter/child) who becomes a teacher at a school. these 2 are ones i greatly reccomend

So, uhm.. What part of this did you not get?

Quote from firethreats

I am NOT looking for shounen mafia portrayals like Hitman Reborn so there should be some degree of realism(ish) and also not looking for the mafia being as just a side plot like in the case of Gokusen.

Read the whole post before answering. Pretty amazing to suggest both titles that are set as examples of what @firethreats is not looking for.

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Quote from CuthienSilmeriel

I hadn't noticed that, I feel very dense now, lol. I agree that the other 3 focus on BL a lot more than your suggestions. The stories are still good, but if you are very anti-BL, then you may no like them.

I hadn't noticed that, I feel very dense now, lol. I agree that the other 3 focus on BL a lot more than your suggestions. The stories are still good, but if you are very anti-BL, then you may no like them.

But true that they're awesome if you like BL.

Yes, I'm very neutral in that regard. I don't the fact that lots of BL titles are porn without plot basically, or take very serious things like rape, abuse etc lightly. Violence is not an expression of love, and I really hate manga that use it as such.

Those other 3 manga, while BL (though the graphic detail of said BL varies), do not have the common yazuza/gangster potrayal seen in most BL manga. So if you aren't so bothered by BL, you might like them.

________________The pen is mightier than the sword...and considerably easier to write with.